Date A Live

Did You Know?

• The first volume of the first anime season placed eighth in Blu-ray sales in Japan during its debut week on the Oricon charts.
• The PS3 game Date A Live: Rinne Utopia sold 23,340 physical retail copies in its first week in Japan.
• By June 2026, the series had sold 9 million copies.

Plot

The story begins with a spatial quake that devastates central Eurasia, killing at least 150 million people. Over the next 30 years, smaller spatial quakes occur irregularly. Shido Itsuka, a high school student, encounters a mysterious girl at the epicenter of a spatial quake. His adoptive sister Kotori reveals that the girl is a Spirit from another dimension, and that Spirits cause the quakes when they manifest. Kotori commands the airship Fraxinus, crewed by the organization Ratatoskr and its parent company Asgard Electronics. Shido is recruited to use his ability to seal Spirits' powers, but he must make each Spirit fall in love and kiss him. He faces opposition from the Anti-Spirit Team (AST), which seeks to eliminate Spirits, and from DEM Industries, led by Sir Isaac Ray Pelham Westcott, who wants to exploit the Spirits. As Shido seals more Spirits, he gains allies but also increased romantic competition.

Media

Date A Live originated as a light novel series by Koushi Tachibana, illustrated by Tsunako. The first volume was published on March 19, 2011, under Fujimi Shobo's Fujimi Fantasia Bunko imprint, and 22 volumes were released in Japan. Yen Press licensed the light novel for English release in North America, announced at the 2020 Crunchyroll Expo. Five manga adaptations were published by Kadokawa Shoten and Fujimi Shobo in Monthly Shōnen Ace and Monthly Dragon Age. The anime adaptation, directed by Keitaro Motonaga and produced by AIC Plus+, aired from April to June 2013. Episodes were streamed on Niconico a week before TV broadcast on Tokyo MX. The opening theme was 'Date A Live' by sweet ARMS, and four ending themes were used. A second season, produced by Production IMS, aired from April to June 2014, with opening theme 'Trust in You' by sweet ARMS and ending theme 'Day to Story' by Kaori Sadohara. An unaired episode was bundled with the third volume of the Date A Live Encore short story collection on December 9, 2014. Funimation licensed the first two seasons for North America, and Madman Entertainment for Australia. A third season by J.C.Staff aired from January 11 to March 29, 2019, with opening theme 'I Swear' by sweet ARMS and ending theme 'Last Promise' by Erii Yamazaki. Crunchyroll simulcast the third season, and Funimation produced a simuldub. A fourth season by Geek Toys aired from April to June 2022, and a fifth season from April to June 2024. A new anime project, Date A Live F Last Date, produced by Fugaku, has been announced.